


The Ordeal Of Being Known

by ProspitianHeroOfHeart



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Comedy, M/M, Male! reader - Freeform, Swearing, basically self indulgent because i invented a species and wanted to use it, but also like Real Talk, but he is a prince, but ye ive tried to be the gender neutral side of male, im so sorry martha, martha is sad but she will be okay, reader is sarcastic af, the doctors basically a bi mess learning to cherish rose and move on, the reader is kinda an asshole but dw theres development
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2020-06-28 09:40:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19809655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProspitianHeroOfHeart/pseuds/ProspitianHeroOfHeart
Summary: You are royal(rude), affluent(arrogant) and…and…and……and you’ve been smuggled off your home world by your father to escape the Eat-the-rich style popular rebellion sweeping the planet. Being the prince of Photara is hard. Really! and of course you cant pull the prince card anymore so you're really struggling with these hagglers...You thought you and Martha had an Easy job! stop a bomb igniting the atmosphere of a Trade and Repair moon, but then someone puts a clamp on the TARDIS, and the ship you "borrowed" from the handsome Photarian got blown to smithereens, so now, of course he's yelling at the top of his lungs that you blew up his ride and owe him a ship of all things.-Sometimes being known by another person is terrible. they see everything about you good and bad, but how else are you meant to learn and grow?





	1. dont you know who i AM?

You are royal(rude), affluent(arrogant) and…and…and…

…and you’ve been smuggled off your home world by your father to escape the Eat-the-rich style popular rebellion sweeping the planet. Being the prince is hard. Really! 

You thought you’d finally made it out of harms way, systems away from home and neat new gloves to shield your royal birthmark, when you decide to stop for repairs-no solar panels work forever after all. This is when the universe decides you haven’t suffered enough; because some strange high-energy emitting humanoid comes and- and a second! Another one! Another less energetic one! calling themselves the Doctor and Martha show up saying their ships been grounded but there’s a bomb in the atmosphere? Or something? And they need your ride? You’re half way through telling them where they can shove it when they thank you and waltz in regardless of literally anything you've begun to say.

Fine; whatever; non-Photarians cant even use your peoples technology so-

Oh. the ship started. huh. 

And that is how you managed to lose your ship-essentially all you had until your father sent word it was safe to return-weeks after receiving it.

Because…you are pppppprrrreeeeetttyyyyyyyy sure you just saw it crash land in a ball of metallic fury as the Doctor and his companion appear sheepishly next to you, clearly having utilised the emergency teleporter. 

“you…” is all you can manage-you’re still staring at the crash site, billowing smoke rising from its resting place. You cannot believe this. The hand you had by your slide clutching a wrench twitches, as do your eyes.  
“you…WRECKED MY SHIP!” you screech, turning at last to face the sheepish male-Doctor, right? What kind of name is that? And the for-some-unfathomable-reason equally angry Feminine humanoid, Martha (?).  
“He just saved your life! Everyones lives!” what was she just there for the ride? You go to voice this obviously very witty and relevant come back when the man himself intervenes.  
“no, theyre right, I mean, you’re right too, we did just save them from a rogue terrorist attack that would’ve ignited the atmosphere, but we also did it at the cost of someones ship, someone who seemingly has no one for company and no way home. How about I offer you a ride to Photara?” you shake your head furiously “absolutely not-I just left! I-I-I didn’t even decide where I wanted to go!” you fume, moving to prod this strange thin man with your wrench. Looking up the few inches you shamefully require to meet his eyes, you glare harshly. You can feel his hearts beat furiously under your wrench.  
Wait.  
Wait wait wait.  
Hearts, as in…two of them. As in.  
You stumble back, suddenly not angry anymore-more fucking confused. The only two hearted otherwise humanoid species who could emit energy like that, who could work around your technology like that- are- but they-there was a war-  
“you’re impossible” is all you say, trying to recover from your realisation, and regain your previous anger. These two however, are just looking at you like you’ve lost your mind. Maybe you have. Two hearts. Psssssshhhhh

“excuse me?” it’s the Martha one. “doesn’t matter. Look. I need a new ship, if you can help me get one of those id call us even,” you supply, trying to get things back on track. “a ship? Are you crazy!” Martha is apparently nothing but fire and fury. You scowl at her. She clearly doesn’t have much respect for-

For what? You aren’t royal anymore, not here, and not anywhere until this mishap is over. Maybe even never again, if no form of order is restored that would allow a monarchy-figurehead or autocrat. You make a noise of frustration and stamp your foot. Your markings flicker and so do a couple of powered down ships nearby; their lights flickering on as your markings do, their owners calling you all sorts of crude things for messing with their lights. The Markings give one more feeble flicker. They cover your body in swirling patterns, a dark brown against the light tan of your skin. Your mother said you have the most handsome markings. Though, her opinion doesn’t really count, does it? She kind of had to say that. You appreciated it none the less.  
Anyway, off topic again. 

Martha opens her mouth, curled into an amused snarl, as if she was about to mock your (perfectly justified) childishness when she stops short to look in alarm at the flickering headlights of nearby ships. The Doctor is unphased. You are not surprised by this.  
“don’t worry Martha, Photarians can manipulate energy-particularly in states of high emotion,” you don’t know how you feel about one of your peoples most remarkable trait being laid out so analytically, as if its harmless, or as if its merely a fact in a textbook, not a part of your culture and your every being. As if it doesn’t impact everything you see and do. You frown again; these two are going to give you frown lines at this rate. 

“it’s a fundamental aspect of our spirituality and culture, jackass, but yes, lay it out on the medical table.” You huff. Martha remains furious-but more hesitantly so-and the doctors lips part in the most adorable look or surprise. “of course, sorry,” you shake your head.  
“can you get me a ride or not? I don’t want to spend my life on this rock.” They frown this time. Martha goes on about how they don’t owe you anything, but you tune her out. You focus your attention on the Doctor. He’s thinking over something. You dare him to come out with it. Besides, you’d rather not tune into the morality expert beside him. 

“you could come with us,” he says at last. 

It isn’t what you expect, but Martha’s reaction definitely is expected, she immediately objects. Sure, you two haven’t got off on the right foot-but they hijacked your pod and blew it up, so it isn’t really a good start, and if they really did save your life, which you are a little skeptical of, even if you dont really have a reason why, you just are, they could at least finish the job-because you have no doubt you would be dead in weeks here without a ship. 

And the doctor clearly knew that. That will be why he suggested it. 

“just until we can sort something out, Martha. The Tardis can give them a room, and they can join us on trips or not. Just until we can get them somewhere safe” she glares at you again. You start to actually feel a little bad.  
“look, if you did save my life-and weren’t just, I don’t know, trying to stop me leaving, or something equally bizarre, you could at least make it worth your while. Look around you, I wouldn’t last a month here alone. Seems like a waste of a life.” That gets her. And you’re glad it does. She acquiesces, and the Doctors very life energy seems to perk up. His trench coat billows, as he leads you to his ship. The TARDIS, as he calls it. Hes babbling away about how you can make your room into anything you like, and how theres a pool, a library, a lab, a second library, a cinema, but the pair of them mostly spend time in the console room….

He keeps talking, and for fear of losing your ride off this junk moon, you don’t say a word. Martha just smiles at him fondly, and you suddenly realise why she was so quick to defend him, to put him on a pedestal, and so quick to agree to let you come along. Her energy reaches for his-her brains impulses double near him. 

She cares about him a lot. 

It reminds you of how your mother looked at your father when you were young. 

You stop thinking about it.


	2. Im not that bad you know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You introduce the doctor to your version of a sugar high, and think on a few aspects of being a Photarian, at least the doctor shows you something new. (it scares you)

“it’s…a rectangle.” You observe, one with a deadlock clamp on its door. And perhaps the strangest energy field you’ve ever felt. “yes. Ad its also been grounded, though with your abilities…” ah. How duplicitous. “so you did have an agenda, huh?” you jest, hoping it helps ease the tension you can sense-particularly between you and Martha. The doctor chuckles at least.   
“sorry, don’t worry though, I will let you come with us still. Just need to get this clunky gadget off her.” Is his response, so he clearly doesn’t intend to follow the legal procedure to get this removed, and whatever voodoo he did to work your pod doesn’t work on clamps. Suppose you wouldn’t be stood here if it did. 

You sigh. “alright; stand back, it might spark” you focus on the energy within the clamp. Its circuitry and software humming away, electromagnetism zooming around its feeble metallic casing. You can sense it, feel its flow, you imagine a rope between yourself and the clamp. You pull. The rope doesn’t give, but you pull harder, and slowly but surely, the energy contained within the clamp leaves it, and goes into you, setting your marks ablaze. As expected it gives off a defiant spark before making a defeated whirring noise. Your marks will stop glowing in an hour or so, but it is certainly refreshing. And in some ways comforting. The clamp, now drained of battery power, falls off the blue doors of the doctors strange ship. You shake your hands to tr and rip yourself of excess energy. 

“there. Done and done,” you fidget. That clamp had a lot of juice.   
“thank you.” The doctor replies, not really affected by seeing you suck the power out a clamp. Martha however is a little…surprised? She’s not said anything to quantify her reaction on the matter to you, but you feel yourself smirking at the attention her gaze provides. The doctor unlocks the door. You saunter in when he holds the door for you.  
“alright so now you can explain how that swimming pool you were talking about fits in thi-oh.” Its big. Huge, even. How is this even possible? Is this why it had such a strange energy? Like it was…otherworldly? Or alive? Or both?   
“yep! Isn’t she amazing!” the ship hums in what you think was…agreement. A pleased hum filled your mind as it did- the energy pulsing like a purring cat. Theres no way-but-

“its alive” you whisper at the door. Martha smirks at your disbelief. The doctor is quick to correct you. She is alive. 

You cannot believe this. The ship is alive. It has consciousness. How does this ship work? 

“I’ll be dropping Martha off home; you can go through that door to the left there and pick a room, the TARDIS can help you.” 

-  
After Martha went back to “Earth”-her home world apparently-things were kind of…weird to say the least. The TARDIS hummed away in the background, the Doctor was repairing something. You had considered hiding in your new room-a grand marble suite with a pool and four poster bed-but on your way back from the bathroom the TARDIS guided you to, she kept giving you the door to the console room.   
After four separate failed attempts you took the hint and sat on the railing, to watch the man work. 

“How long have you had to keep her running?” you ask, nosy to find information on your running theory for exactly what he is. Because based on Martha, they are not the same species, despite looking similar.   
“a good while,” he replied from under the main console. He made a humming noise as he thought on it. “must be about…a few centuries, definitely, three? Four? I lose count.” that’s a long time to keep ship this complex afloat-especially as it seems hes mostly on his own, apart from Martha, but she doesn’t strike you as a secret rocket scientist. i mean, she could be, but, you begin to think before shaking your head with a sigh. Distractions, distractions. 

“that’s a long time, a life time even,” the doctor scoffed “longer than a lifetime im afraid. For you, at least. 200 years for your lot isn’t it?” you confirm his guess. “must be like nothing for you then” you mutter, a little…vulnerable feeling. His life span is truly Gallefreian, so that adds to your growing theory that the race of time-experts who were lost to a giant ball of fire screaming “EXTERMINATE” is in fact before you now, not extinct. 

Your mother was interested in their history, (all history really) she read you stories about them. You always imagined them as 12 feet tall, with eyes like diamonds, surely beings who lived so long and had such dominion over time and space itself would be impressive. But…no. no diamond eyes, hes taller than you, sure, but not by too much, and hes not decked out in ornate gems and garments, just a brown pinstripe suit. Its…not what you expected. Though, you assumed they were all long gone, so apparently the universe likes to spite your expectations.   
“before, on the moon” he began, accompanied by the sound of metal aching as it is turned to fit a bolt tight. The TARDIS’s energy flickers in your mind, petulant. She seems fond of you-you think? Only because of your abilities, probably. You can perceive her as most cant. Though, the doctor doesn’t seem to have any problem perceiving her, as he chuckles before continuing his sentence, seemingly in response to the ships antics. 

“you said I was impossible” he finished. Ah yes that. Your epic save when you felt four little pitter patters under his ribs.   
“yeah; thought you guys were gone.” You say, matter of fact. The ultimate test of said theory.   
He stops. Freezes-you can see even his lower body tense up and the metallic sounds cease. He is silent for a few moments before setting down his tools and pushing out from under the console. He sighs as he reaches for a cloth to clean oil off his hands. 

“yeah. They are. I’m the last one, this is the last TARDIS, we’re all that’s left.” He looked…tortured. Tormented even. His eyes glazed over in a distant stare before he could even ask how you could guess. You lean over the inches between you to click in front of his distant eyes. “doctor; doctor! C’mon im not here for the good of my health!” you say, continuing to try and get his attention.   
“oh, oh, sorry. Lost in thought,” he snaps out of it quickly enough. “jeeze; sorry I asked.” You say it with flippancy, but you do mean it. If he was there-at the war that ended his race-he’s probably got some serious baggage. 

“just uh, Martha doesn’t know. I dont intend to lie or..not tell her outright, I just...” he asks, and you shrug. “sure. It isn’t my business. I just felt your hearts under my wrench. But yeah, the energy also helped.” Every living thing emits various forms of energy. While electromagnetic energy is your personal specialty, you can sense the intrinsic life energy of living things, what sets individuals apart. It’s a useful skill. Not unique to your species though.  
He looks like he wants to say something else, but you wave him off to finish his repairs, and you head back to your room, with an “I’m finding a pool” in your wake. 

-  
You spend a day sunbathing in the light of Alpha Centuri, and the night bouncing around the TARDIS like a hyperactive nightlight on a bloody sugar rush because you absorbed too much energy from the star.   
"Why don’t we go somewhere???? You know a lot of somewhere and I DESERVE somewhere!!!! Or a run??? I promise not to use my abilities if you get me a decent track, sound fair???? OH what about a swim-in a pool though the ocean is terrifying- or or or"  
Yeah. Too much light. It happened at home sometimes, some were more prone than others. You were just so comfy in the light of a beautiful star system, listening to the doctor go about his business, or chatting idly to you about how many times hes seen that view, how many times he’s shown someone else the view, or anything that popped into his head. Occasionally he'd scan you with his weird screw driver. 

In fact he was doing it again now, feeding it into the console with a pinch of amusement on his face. 

“OH! Too much light!” he exclaims, and you nod vigorously. “some people get it easier than others but that’s okay because it means we can take in more energy right??? More energy to kick ass, and stuff you know? Hey what about a drink I think that would be fun, you know ive never been to a space bar, only the bars on Photara and they were kind of lame because my father sent a body guard and everyone was awkward and-”

The Doctor laughs at you this time. “whoa whoa whoa slow down, a body guard?” you nod again. Forcefully. “he was so paranoid!!!” you clear your throat to impersonate your father-not long after your 18th cycle. “dear child of mine, you know your safety is important to me!!! What if someone decided to murder you! Right there in a bar! Surrounded by dozens of people! Or mug you in a world that never experiences sunset-you know I had to ask this exchange student what a sunset was? Never heard of them. Because , like, it gets dark sure but she said that it wasn’t dark because the sun was up,” You open your mouth again, but the doctor raises a hand. You bounce on your heels-in patient silence, you would say. Like a child given too much sugar, he would say. 

He closes the doors, and off you both go. the TARDIS whirring to life and promptly throwing you around. “where are we goooiiinnggg” you swing around the console, using all that pent up energy to hold you to the controls as you use your momentum to circle the control console. You really wish you could burn up this extra energy. Its embarrassing-but you just can't help it! 

“I’m showing you a sunset” you stop, being tugged back by the turbulence as you still. “really???? But then its darkkkkkkkkkkk like really dark, like not just dark to me but dark to you too, right?” he frowns, and scans you with his noisy screwdriver again. Right between the eyes. You follow it in confusion, batting it gently. “what are you doing?” you pout. Why is he doing that?  
“scanning your eye tissues. Seems like you're adapted to a high light environment, makes sense, but comes at a cost. Your perception of darkness is a lot brighter than mine. Maybe we should get you a torch.” He decides.   
-  
Sunsets are weird. And scary, if your honest. But no one needs to know that 

You decide this after the doctor attaches a torch to your head, after ten minutes of trying to get you to stand still mind you, and then again when you see the sun actually set and realise you are in the fucking void. That snaps you right out of your light induced sugar rush.

The Doctor takes you to a planet with no intelligent life, mostly plants and small animals. He says in about 500 years its going to be discovered and turned into a tourist escape destination. The sun is touching the horizon, and as the two of you exit to the top of the cliff the doctor has selected, you realise why it will become as such. It is lush, smells like sweetness and you think you can hear rushing water in the distance. 

Yellows blend to oranges into reds, pinks into purples, the world closing in as it descends into darkness. By the time the sun is three quarters of the way down, your instincts agree with your eyes; torch or no, its night time. But it keeps going, and you keep watching. 

“oh my gods why does anyone wait to watch this monstrosity” you splutter out once the sun actually dips full below the horizon. if you didn’t have a torch illuminating the ground in front of you, you may have in fact had a panic attack. “it’s summer you know, I went for the brightest sunset I could-I could read by this” oh, yeah, rub it in, asshole. You internally grumble. And by the chuckle you hear from the direction of the very pompous git, you outwardly grumbled it too. “no need to be upset, I’ll help you if you need.” You huff. 

“so you really don’t like it?” the Doctor asks after a few seconds more-the world is getting darker still, soon you wont even be able to distinguish the horizon from the sky.   
“it was stunningly beautiful until it was like stepping into sensory deprivation.” The doctor doesn’t say anything for a while, and hes just a black blob to you until you turn fully to shine your torch at him. It feels like relief to see him, but you chalk that up to the quickly darkening world. You shuffle a little closer to him. He doesn’t comment. “sorry, I thought you'd like it, new sights and all” he mumbles, genuinely at a loss for someone being shown something new and not being amazed. He looks like a small woofbeast-a delightfully adorable one, saddened. You cant help but feel a little bad.   
“I was enjoying it. The colours were really nice. I'm just a little off put by the oncoming void, as we all tend to be.” You pause. “thank you.” 

He smiles. 

When it gets so dark you cant see anything except what your torch directly points at, if you squint, you start to panic. You’ve never been in this level of dark before. On Photara, the sun never truly goes below the horizon, and you’ve been rocked to sleep by the ambient solar energy on the planet. But this….this is just the emptiness of space. The stars glimmer above you at least. But your environment….its gone. You cant feel anything but cold. A steep drop in energy. You shuffle closer to the doctor, closer and closer until you panic hes left you here-but brush against trench coat and sigh in relief. Gods this is embarrassing.   
“c’mon, lets go.” He says, not commenting on your cowardice. He pulls you up by your bicep, and pulls you to the TARDIS. You notice as you approach you see her because she flashes her light bright enough for you, and opens her doors to allow light out from the console room.   
That was when you realise not only is she alive, but she cares.

You thank the doctor again as you hand back the torch, and lock yourself in your room. 

You avoid the doctor for a couple more days. You lounge in your room, by the pool, in the library. On the third day of avoiding the doctor, you find an arcade full of games you’ve never seen before-strange games where you fight strange creatures-or just other humanoids. One reminds you a little of your Urshaktha; with two fighters in the ring with extraordinary abilities. Though you do not recall hearing FATALITY or KNOCK OUT upon your victory. You don’t play that one much, anyway. 

The Urshaktha is a coming of age ritualistic fight all Photarians must complete. At the age of 14 cycles, your parents confer with the ringmasters to select you an opponent. It is supposed to show what you have learned, what skills you have, what you can do with your power of energy; from hard-light weapons to electric shocks. You…did not enjoy it.   
Regardless; It is also on the third day, the doctor finds your little hidey hole of the day, ending the three day absence. 

“ah, the arcade! Almost forgot I had this, these are from Martha’s homeworld.” He seems to have a “thing” for that Earth planet, doesn’t he?   
“what makes them so special?” you ask-a good way to avoid being asked about your sudden avoidance.   
“they are quite something; stumbling their way through existence, for better or worse. I promised them id protect them from any harm from the stars-do anything I could to let them succeed.” You don’t understand why them, but don’t bother voicing it. He probably wont tell you any more, or he may, gods forbid, get more melodramatic. 

You just hum instead, thinking of another distraction. Or trying to at least.   
“I haven’t seen you around these last few days; don’t tell me you’ve been in here for three days;” you snort. “no, I bathe, Doctor. I don’t waste away in front of light boxes and their violent imitations. Besides, i've only just found this room”   
“they aren’t all violent, though I will admit the humans like the violent ones, I suppose if it stops them being violent to each other there’s no harm, no?” he wanders over, deeper into the labyrinth of beeping machines. He gestures for you to follow. 

“besides, I thought you would like the simulation of violence, if memory serves your people are a warrior race aren’t they? Or at least a well trained one.” You huff. “that doesn’t mean I like it. I did my training, I completed my Urshaktha, I do not owe my people any more violence.” You wander on in silence, following his lead.   
He leads you to two chairs, with bright screens showing primitive vehicles speeding along a track. 

“care for a race?”

“…I can be persuaded”


	3. Im Sorry What?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You begin your first adventure with the Doctor and Martha with a little prompting from a sentient spaceship. You've been here 5 minutes and you are ready to leave. shame the TARDIS is locked in a steam-filled room you cant get into. (spoilers for the episode "42").

Okay, so its been a weird few days. You’ve convinced a wandering time lord to put you up and you cant decide if you should shun him or play that fun race game with him.  
You admit, you felt bad when you realised you were right, and the old race thought long extinct had one sole survivor; he wore pinstripes and said strange words and tried to show you the sunset. Come to think of it, you don’t really know why he did that. Maybe because the dark would bring you back to reality? Maybe he was showing off. You don’t really understand it, or why he opened up so easily about being a time lord; if Martha doesn’t know. Then again, did Martha ever ask?

Or maybe, its because he knew you were running from something, and wanted to help you feel at ease. 

The thought hits you like a truck.

Because, you think, one key thing you said could have tipped him off. 

_i-i-i didn’t even decide where to go! ___

__Some may assume you were traveling-backpacking the universe so to speak, but time lords are old, they are clever, and, your brain decides to remind you, far later than it should have, that your mother told tales of them being able to read peoples minds. Why didn’t that jump out at you sooner? Thanks, brain. All too late for relevance really. You suppose he didn’t really seem like he was reading your mind-even now he doesn’t act like it, so you never thought of it._ _

__That or you’re getting forgetful in the stress of it all. Who knows._ _

__Whatever, this is his fault anyway, so you just need to wait until you can get a ride, and pick somewhere to go-maybe he can help there too-you also need to decide if picking a planet and hiding or planet hoping is safer, in case they find out you were sent off world and try to find you…_ _

__They wouldn’t right?_ _

__You toss it over._ _

___I mean, if they “win” and overthrow the current state of affairs they would have control over our assets and its not like theyres a shortage of warriors to send...But why bother? Im one cowardly prince-since I ran away, theres every possibility I wont come back. _____

____

____

____But will they rely on that? You don’t really want to think on it further._ _ _ _

____Okay; back to the present, you decide. You’re in your room. The bed is comfortable and the TARDIS knows exactly how bright you like the lights to keep you energised without getting hyper as you did before, it also means the Doctor is less likely to come in if its too bright. You hope? maybe? who knows._ _ _ _

____The TARDIS is near infinite from what you gather, so you could explore further, though as you’ve figured out she’s conscious and she’d guide you away from the juicy stuff. (rude)  
Though, despite the comfort of your little bubble, you will need water eventually; and your legs are cramping. Its worth a go, maybe she’ll be nice and move the kitchen in your path.  
The TARDIS is nice, you grab a glass bottle with crystalline water from some planets famous spring or another (according to the label at least), and carry on.  
-_ _ _ _

____“Should we invite...?”  
“No,” Martha shuts the doctor down quite forcefully, he may have regaled her with how he and the Photarian bonded over racing arcade games and sunsets but they were nothing but rude and demanding as far as she is concerned. Plus, threes a crowd, right?_ _ _ _

____The doctor opens his mouth-as the very alien they were discussing walks in, bottle of water in hand and frowning.  
“this isn’t the fun time I was aiming for, TARDIS,” they say, looking up to the console as the ship hums in response.  
“Or maybe it is” the doctor replies, ignoring Martha’s “No!” beside him to wander over to the stay they had picked up on that godforsaken repair moon.  
-  
You look up at the two of them, shocked to see you apparently. though the Doctor wears a smile despite Martha's shock moving into a frown.  
“We were just about to head out,” he says to you, and you hum. “Where?” the Doctor shrugs, leaning against the console controls. “Who knows?” that sets you on edge a bit. Though; the doctor seems excited about absolute _uncertianty_. You go to say you’ll pass on the mystery activity-curious as you are, who knows where you're going and what could happen, but a loud and seemingly (somehow) annoyed noise from above-the TARDIS putting her foot down at you apparently- has you halting. ___ _

______You will admit you have gotten along best with the ship these last few days. Her ambient energy is relaxing and she tries to make sure the ship is comfortable. She also isn’t annoying. But she is stubborn, and as she is the ship shielding you from the vacuum of space, she tends to get her way when she so desires to assert it.  
“I suppose that’s a hint I am supposed to take. Fine. Ill go. Don’t get too excited, Martha” you grumble, joining the pair by the controls. Curious, you look around the strange contraptions, switches and dials. Any attempt to touch them is met with the doctor slapping your hand and scolding you. You frown at him more. He's still smiling. _ _ _ _ _ _

______“Right. Well. Allons-y!”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Allon what” you say-before you are thrown by the turbulence of the TARDIS travelling. Martha cackles at you as she holds on to the controls, unaffected, as you get launched across the main console room. “fuck you!” you yell back from the metal floor, as you land. your water goes with you, bouncing off somewhere, lost to the console rooms infinite depths. (RIP)  
You clamber up to the console again just in time to be slammed about harshly, the TARDIS groans and the doctor suddenly looms over the ship controls quite serious, hitching his leg over the console to hit some switch or another. “Distress call! Careful there may be some-!”  
You get launched toward the door, only to bang your ribs on the railing. You let out a wheeze. Martha is still laughing at you. its almost as if she doesnt like you, or something.  
“Turbulence. Sorry” the Doctor apologises, but your aching ribs don't care. You groan. “I hate you” you aren’t sure who it is directed at, but the ship hums in response, and the two other humanoids who managed to remain practically unscatched laugh at you. You cant believe how far you have fallen in that moment.  
-_ _ _ _ _ _

______Its warm, you will admit. Humid even. Perhaps even uncomfortable. But Martha complains loudly its like a “sauna” whatever that is. You’re on some clunky ship. The lights and life support systems are electrical, but that seems to be about it. There is no electric engine thrumming through the floor. Your hardlight-clothing glows softly against the walls and floor, so you tone them down a bit. The doctor talks to Martha about how the ship is working hard to cool the place off like an excited science teacher-beginning to delve into how the systems work to cool you off and how just by listening he can tell the systems are overworked. Well; they're clearly not doing a good job. You scoff._ _ _ _ _ _

______“what are you doing in there! get out!” comes through the steam to you, and the doctor leads you out to face three…damp? Humanoids-based on their energy, all humans, like Martha.  
“Seal that door! Now! Who are you? What are you doing on my ship?” thin, blonde, high pitched voice. Looks to be female. She looks up to the doctor from where she stopped short of him, another presumably male runs past you and Martha with some sort of device. Its got a twinge of electromagnetism you barely perceive as he runs by. A second male close behind.  
“Are you police?” police? as in law enforcement? just who are these people? It’s the third human-the other male by the door, not holding the clamp but seemingly assisting. He looks worried, and that sets you right on edge-despite his innocent demeanor, surely no innocent would ask that first. _ _ _ _ _ _

______“ Why would we be police? We got your distress signal.” The doctor replies, raising an eyebrow at the woman, challenging almost. You frown. Again. Frown lines. These people are seriously going to give you them. She doesn’t answer. So the Doctor asks something else. “this is a ship; where are the engines? I cant hear them.” he glances to look to you and you shrug. “cant feel ‘em” you supply.  
“that’s because they went dead four minutes ago,” she supplies. That cannot be good. you don't care how much they beg, you are not trying to restart them yourself, if they even consider asking it of you-_ _ _ _ _ _

______“So maybe we should stop chatting and get to engineering, captain” it’s the first male-much older looking, as well as much gruffer. He and his assistant have moved from the door they sealed (with the TARDIS inside! Might you add-you cant even feel her from here. Why is no one worried about that?!) and have returned to their apparent blonde leader. He accentuated the word “captain” with such a forceful tone it is clear the two don’t seem to be on good terms, for whatever reason. Crisis is like that, you suppose. Whatever._ _ _ _ _ _

______SECURE CLOSURE ACTIVE._ _ _ _ _ _

______It’s the ships AI- and the doors are rapidly sealing themselves in succession. You hear someone utter something about the ship going mad, and you see another human run towards your group as they doors shut behind her. “what the hell is going on” you whisper to the Doctor. Hushed and if you are honest a little panicked. “I don’t know, but we’ll find out.” Is this what he does? Wander the universe fixing dumb human engineering booboos? You didn’t sign up for this. You cast a glare to the door, behind which a probably smug and steamy TARDIS resides. Why did she urge you to join? Is she trying to get you killed? Marooned on a clunky space-dumpster? Both?_ _ _ _ _ _

______The human finally arrives, panting and miffed. Also sweaty. Ew. Though, everyone here is sweaty, sadly including you, though from the looks of things you are the least gross. Presumably human biology isn’t as well equipped for heat, or Gallifreian. Dang. Though, Photara is a tidally locked planet, so you definitely get plenty of sunshine.  
“who turned on secure closure? I almost got locked in area 27! And who are you lot?” she’s as damp as the rest of them, and equally as annoyed at her companions as the stern engineer was to his captain. “He’s the Doctor, I’m Martha. Hello” the line is practiced, something she seems to have had to say many times before. So practiced she seems half-aware when saying it; leaving the group to wander to the window and look outside, light from a nearby star hitting her face. You also notice she doesn’t introduce you, so you jump in behind her with your first name. _ _ _ _ _ _

______Impact projection: 42 minutes 27 seconds. the ships AI again._ _ _ _ _ _

______I’m sorry what_. You cant help but think as you splutter out demands for answers. It isn’t very regal of you, but that computer just said impact; implying this ship is about to crash! you have every right to panic! ___ _ _

______________The tiny blonde woman and apparent captain turns to you and the Doctor. “we’ll get out of this, I promise” she sounds very grave, but you cannot help but scoff. “we’d better!” you scold her, and she frowns in your direction. You return the gesture. “42 minutes until what?” the doctor is eerily clam as he poses the question, and you find yourself quite the opposite as you twitch and fiddle with your minimal hard-light clothing. (the “blue-print” is stored in you left earring, and forms a golden outfit of tight jeans and tank top formed of light and maintained by its energy. You can alter its brightness, and for the sake of the humans before you, you keep it dim but opaque.) “Doctor, look!” Martha’s call is desperate and puts you even more on edge than you were before, and before either of you could respond or "look" as Martha has requested, the captain of this shit show answers the question.  
“42 minutes until we crash into the sun”  
_Oh fuck off._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THOUGHT U SAW THE LAST OF MY GAY ASS????? less likely than u think

**Author's Note:**

> i know the readers character might seem a little cringy right now but basically like my plan was to give you some character development i promise. 
> 
> also yes thats from good omens.


End file.
